Development of microprocessor technology has seen decreasing power supply voltages that are more susceptible to interference by noise, decreasing signal transition times, decreasing die sizes, increasing power supply currents, and increasing clock speeds. As a result, ever more significant demands are placed upon the power supplies of microprocessor circuits. Such demands typically result in significant voltage and current variation between power and ground conductors.
Knowledge as to the nature of the extreme voltages that occur between a microprocessor power and ground due to the operation of a microprocessor or other type of circuit is useful for estimating power distribution performance and for predicting signal integrity in a microprocessor. However, current approaches are inadequate to determine such extreme voltages.